The witches’ web

This article examines the role of online communities of witches in the circulation and legitimization of contemporary witchcraft, a discredited esoteric practice. It draws on around 20 semi-structured interviews with people practising witchcraft, and an online ethnography of the Discord and Instagram platforms. The findings show that digital platforms, whilst enabling witches to exchange and produce knowledge about witchcraft, reinforce trends towards standardization and individualization of the practice, giving rise to disagreements over the very nature of witchcraft. These disagreements are overcome by a shared critique of the ‘excesses’ of witchcraft. Through online preventative measures, communities of witches thus contribute to the legitimization and redefinition of witchcraft, by establishing responsibility and critical thinking as normative frameworks.